Educators don't deserve Editorial Board attacks

Correspondent of the Day (Published: March 01, 2012)

<http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/letters-to-the-editor/2012/mar/01/correspondent-of-the-day-ar-1730946/>

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

It was with great sadness that I read your editorial, "Education: Primary Concerns." The Editorial Board has now joined what seems, from this teacher's perspective, to be an angry season of attacking educators.

You take teachers to task for VEA criticism of Gov. Bob McDonnell's budget, repeating his claim that he will be spending much more on education. Most of the additional funding goes to cover the $600 million borrowed from the Virginia Retirement System to balance last year's budget — teachers don't see this repayment as additional funding for the classroom.

In addition, you wonder why teachers would object to a move away from continuing contracts, which provide some measure of job security for experienced teachers hoping to avoid the whims of administrators looking for less expensive replacements. A continuing contract does not represent tenure-for-life; it simply requires school boards to show cause for dismissal. Giving administrators more power to arbitrarily fire teachers is not the kind of education reform that Virginia needs.

For years, the implied social contract with public school teachers has been, "We can't pay you very much, but you'll have some job security and the benefits are good." With recent attacks on pension funding and continuing contracts, it seems all we will have to offer to prospective teachers is, "We can't pay you very much."

Does The Times-Dispatch really want to portray the advocates for the teaching profession who wore black in protest as promoting an "unattractive undercurrent of entitlement"? To this government teacher, their action modeled the very civic discourse and participation that we should want from all informed voters.

Renee Serrao,

Government teacher,
Cosby High School.
Midlothian.